Postal Letter

Am I legally required to pass on mail addressed to the previous owners of our house?

The previous owners of our house refused to leave a forwarding address. When we tried to get in touch with them through a mutual friend they told her never to pass on any contact information for them. However they expect us to give her all mail for them that comes to our house. Every week we get something and pass it on. However, given their attitude towards us, I resent doing this. Do I have to or can I bin the mail?

Public Comments

1. I still after 4 years get mail from the previous tenants once and a while. I just write "no longer lives here" on the envelope and put it back in the box. Let the post office worry about it.
2. Give it back to the mail carrier and tell him/her that this person no longer lives here. You are under no obligation to collect and deliver her mail to her. Eventually you will stop receiving it. You could just throw it away, but it would still keep coming. And I don't know if it's legal to do that.
3. You can throw it away, or write on the envelope "return to sender, not at this address", drop back in the mailbox.
4. Give the mail back to the mailman and on it put in big red letters not at this address. If they request the mail from(the previous tenant) you simply state that they may have to check with the postmaster because you do not have their mail. They are obviously hiding from someone or something that you do not have to be in the middle of. You are a resident not a delivery pigeon. Good luck
5. i don't know about legally, but morally you should, you shouldn't blame your behavior on some other persons behavior.
6. No you don't have to pass it on but you can't destroy it either. My ploy would be to put it in the postbox labelled "Not known at this address - return to sender". I do this and have printed a load of cheap sticky labels for the purpose. Sounds to me that they are expecting to be chased for payments or something. If anyone comes to the door looking for them pass on the name of the friend. You might also like to check your credit score (via Experian) in case they left a lot of debts.
7. Four years and still you have mail addressed to the former owners? Crazy? Do they not know that they are supposed to fill out a change of address card? No legal requirements, but a nice gesture to prove that you are more mature than they are. Let the post office worry about it. Just write, no longer at this address. The postal people will get the picture soon enough.
8. They're probably trying to run away from debts. Don't pass it on or throw it away or these letters will keep coming (they will assume they live there). Always put in back in the box with 'not know at this address' and it should stop coming.
9. Absolutely not, it is their responsibility to inform organisations of the change. Write return to sender, no longer at this address and stick it back in the post box. Dont open it though or bin it then it gets a bit dodgy legally.
10. The main point here is they are using an address which is no longer theirs. A letter or utility bill addressed to your home can prove they live there and they can obtain goods using your address. I would write "no longer at this address" on the Envelope and hand it to the post office. if it persists phone your local post office and speak to the branch manager.
11. you are under no obligation to hand over the previous owners mail. instead i would return the mail in the post box - marking it no longer at this address. if the previous owners want there mail, they should get the royal mail to redirect it to there new address (they probably do not want to pay for this service).